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Convert It!

Convert It!Author: Michael P. Brown
Creator: Shari Prange
Publisher: South Florida Electric Auto Association (S F
Category: Book

Buy New: $24.95
as of 3/12/2010 12:34 CST details



New (5) Used (6) from $21.75

Seller: Amazon.com
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars 28 reviews
Sales Rank: 197368

Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Pages: 128
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.4

ISBN: 1879857944
EAN: 9781879857940
ASIN: 1879857944

Publication Date: November 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
This book is the leading how-to resource for electric car conversions. It combines Brown's years of professional automotive experience with down-to-earth language even an automotive beginner can understand. It is not written for the engineer in the laboratory, but for the home mechanic building his own car, and for the average person behind the wheel. Brown speaks to the reader as if talking to a friend in his garage. Before lifting a wrench, Brown answers the most frequently asked questions about electric cars: how fast will it go, how far will it go, how long will the batteries last, how pollution-free is it really, and many more. The conversion process itself begins with choosing an appropriate donor chassis, and stripping it of internal combustion components. Here Brown's experience provide numerous tips and tricks to make the later conversion process easier and more successful. Step by step, Brown leads the reader through the conversion. As each component comes up, Brown gives a little background on the different types available, and the pros and cons of each. He includes tips on layout, design and fabrication at each step, and discusses different approaches for different chassis, such as front wheel drive vs. rear wheel drive. By the end of the book, every part of the conversion process has been discussed. Brown wraps up with a procedure for testing and troubleshooting, and guidelines for normal driving, charging, and maintenance. The book is salted heavily throughout with photos and diagrams to illustrate its topics, and it includes a very thorough index. CONVERT IT has been chosen by the Department of Energy and by numerous schools across the country as the textbook for high school electric car conversion projects.


Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28



5 out of 5 stars interesting   June 30, 2009
Koichi Asaka (Nagoya, Japan)
The reason why I chose this book is that I have a plan to build an EV for my commuting and errands. This book is really practical, as the author says. After having read some chapters, I found many precious lessons that the author had earned in his long experience.
For hobbyists planning to build an EV, this book is a good choice.



4 out of 5 stars Outdated but still the best up to 2009   May 31, 2009
D. Lynn (TN, USA)
Convert It is the best of the EV conversion books.

I built an EV last year ([...]) and not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I asked and read all I could online and visited people who built them. Someone told me not to spend a dime until I read this book.
The authors get right down to the nitty gritty and answer the FAQs even before you have thought of them. Yes outdated, but still a required reading.



1 out of 5 stars Less informative than my first Web Search   February 24, 2009
Spork
2 out of 2 found this review helpful


I bought this book and a couple others looking for more in depth information on converting a gas vehicle to an electric. This book had less information than the first few hits on my original internet query for electric conversions. Its out of date, and lacks any sort of real specifics on what to consider when converting, or how to quantify the various factors.

Save your money! There are much better resources out there!



5 out of 5 stars Convert it! - Your starting point for EV's   November 24, 2008
J. Benger (Australia)
This was one of the first Electric vehicle conversion books we bought and it by far the best.

While it looks dodgey with its simple binding the information is simple to read and understand, and it is full of handy hints for example ways of telling if a car has been in an accident and then repaired and ways of keeping track of all the old engine bits you pull out - handy for the non mechanic.

While it does have technical information it doesn't get bogged down in it.

It is one of the best we own.



4 out of 5 stars Convert it Review   October 3, 2008
Robert G. Shaver (Lake Havasu ,AZ)


I found this book very informative, easy to read , the pictures clear. Missing were wiring diagrams of battery connections. The high and low current diagrams were sufficient and easy to understand. The book was a bit slanted commercially only showing the authors products Over all I think the book was excellent and gave me a basic understanding of how to convert a gas car to electric.
Robert Shaver


Showing reviews 1-5 of 28


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